Thankful!

So, I'm sitting here knowing I need to update my blog. I'm tired and over whelmed. It has been a very long week and I am so far behind in work and house work and getting with people but as I sit here just trying to relax and read some of my favorite blogs I am reminded that nothing last forever and what I feel I need to do is not an emergency and can wait. I need to stop trying to be perfect. I need to take time for myself or I will not be able to take care of my family.

Let me explain just a bit of what has been happening here.

Monday evening a week ago my husband and I were getting ready for the Monday night new episodes of our favorite TV shows. It is the only night I really watch TV. I was finishing up some work in my office when my husband comes to the doorway with his hand on his chest. I ask him "Do we need to go to the emergency room?" and what you hope not to hear , he says.
Yes.

I want to add a bit of comic relief here coz it really is funny and so typical of me. My husband has had afib or what ever it is called in the past, so I thought it may just be that but a bit worse so I go back to get decent clothes on, pee and brush my teeth. Then I was thinking "I better get a book. You know how emergency rooms are. We may be there forever" when he kinda yells out " Where are you!"
Woopsie! I better just go.

Then I see his face again and know this time it is different. So off we go around the corner to our local hospital. Literally, it is 2 minutes away. He makes me leave him at the ambulance entrance coz he doesn't want to wait for triage and registration. I drop him at the door and go park. This door is locked and he has to bang on it for them to let him in. (He knew this, I did not) But he gets right in, bypassing all the paperwork. He is so sneaky.

Skip to next day

He has a heart cath. It is not good news. He has bad coronary artery disease. They want to do several bypasses the next day. They go back and put him on a balloon pump to keep his artery open until they can operate the next day.

Another funny scene. When I get to the hospital Wednesday morning he is on his blackberry conducting business, in his hospital room! It is 3 hours before open heart surgery and he is working on a bid for a job! We teased him that we were going to give the Doc. the phone to answer any important calls and wake him if it was an emergency. If it wasn't, just tell them "His heart isn't in it right now." We really are bad. Our pastor said that now I can't accuse him of not having a heart and I said yeah but I now know for a fact he has a cold, hard heart!

We have been going through some very trying times for the last couple of years and the last few months have been the worst but God has given us a peace and has provided all we have needed so I had faith in God that He would see us through this also. We had family and friends praying and sitting with us and I just knew he would come through this.
Sometimes we have to go through difficult times in order to grow and trust God. I have always heard this said but until you start to live it you really don't understand. It has been a really rough go for quite some time now and we keep wondering when the tide will turn. But I wouldn't give anything to change any of it because of how close we have grown and our trust in God has changed. It has all been worth it.
I am thankful for what God has brought us through and because of all of this I do not battle fear or anxiety anymore. After almost 50 years of not living for me but doing what I thought everyone else wanted. I am finally free. I have a hard head and it took a lot for God to finally make me see but He is so faithful and He never leaves us!

Today is day 3 at home and my husband gets stronger and better each day. I am learning to take each moment as a gift from God and cherish the time God gives us. I also say in stressful times, It is what it is, and I go on.

God has been showing me how to appreciate all that is around me. This is why I take so many photos and why I share them with you. I want others to see the beauty of everyday that is all around us. I will continue to just put up images that move me hoping that somehow they will speak to you too!

What I was hopping to do and what I actually had to do!

Are you ready to start your Christmas shopping?

Would you like to support women in business and artisans who make their own products?

Then this is the perfect weekend!
Go to the link below and you can check out different shops and enter giveaways!
http://rdgirlsnightout.blogspot.com/2009/09/fall-business-womens-expo-has-started.html


I was suppose to participate in the expo but I didn't get my blog post and specials ready in time (procrastination) and then on Monday evening my husband came and told me he thought we needed to go to the emergency room. Well, that visit lead to a heart cath on Tuesday and open heart surgery on Wednesday. It has been a long week but he is doing very good and we hope he will be home Monday. I will post more about that when he gets home and I am not running back and fourth.
I have a few amusing stories that came out of a very scarry situation.

I'd still like you to visit my Etsy shop if you have time and check it out and leave me a comment as to which item is your favorite!http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6212569 Thanks! And happy shopping.

Busy Weekend!

Last week I helped my friend pick out and place plants in her new landscaping area in front of her new house. This weekend we went out for a great lunch at a cute and very good tea room. They have a store and that was trouble for my friend. She made a few purchases that were pushing the budget, but they were so cute! Well, after lunch we decided to go look for pumpkins and such for our porches.

This is my front porch at my studio door. Just a few of the things I picked up. I love decorating for Fall.

Doesn't this look like a duck?

How about my Mocha Mum, whipped cream!

I have a few other decorating things I have done lately so I thought I'd share them with you coz my family think I'm nuts. Especially my husband!

I found this awesomely made nest in my backyard! I knew I had to do something with it. I mean, this bird worked so hard on her home! Then, while on several walks with Cooper (who by the way, is laying beside me on the couch and on my lap trying hard to push this laptop onto the floor! I'm having a really hard time typing with my left arm on his head.) anyway, I found the cool feathers and these wonderfully marked rocks! Are they not the coolest?

So I added it to the top of my bookcase.

Now I must digress back to the lunch. On our way home we saw a garage sale. Woo Hoo, Got to love bargain hunting and this was the ultimate garage sale find! There were two old wooden rustic garden benches that I knew would be perfect for her porch. Did I mention that she had nothing on the porch and it NEEDED STUFF! Also did I mention I love spending other peoples money as much as I like finding bargains? Well these benches go for around $20 to $40 around here at antique shows so when the guy said one was 1 and one was 2 we weren't sure we heard right. We snatched those babies up plus she got a few other things, I forget what coz I was busy spying this great old book and fake, but very real looking, dried roses. My purchase $2.00!

Look at that book! I just love the cover! and the inside page. I love this! Why don't we have beautiful printing in our books today? I am so excited to own this precious piece of history.

Then... I looked inside to the next page and saw this inscription!

1899! and this book cost .25! I am loving the new additions to my living room!

On we go...

Well we stopped at a few other garage sales back in our town and got more cute stuff but we needed more stuff for her porch so we went to Flower Factory. I said we'd try to only spend 30.00 more dollars! Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you how I justified her purchases to her husband and how we could spend more. One of the items she got at that cute shop at the restaurant were new valances for her front hall. Cost, $37.00. Really a good deal actually but she had valances. (They were ugly!) She had to get these cute new ones. Any way, after we found those 2 benches for $3.00 that could have cost her $40.00, I pointed out her valances were basically free! A wash! Then after buying a rod iron bench for the foot of her bed that was priced at $50.00 and I bargained it down to $40.00. I saved her lots so we could spend a bit more to make her porch perfect.

Well, 2 hours later we had everything we needed!

Whew, Cooper finally got down. My arm was killing me.

I wish I had, had my camera with me to capture the perfectness of her porch but I wasn't planning on blogging about it. Sorry I was to lazy to get in my car and drive to her home for photos once I decided to blog this story.

I found a few things for me too so I photographed them instead.

This is my enchanted garden area where I have hung a chandler I found earlier this summer along with some other candle holders. Well I found the perfect candles to fit in the holders! These were the only ones this size and color!

As we were leaving to go to lunch I was looking at the tree in the front yard and thought I needed something for it. Well, low and behold I found this great chandelier for $5.00! Unbelievable!

Well this is my sanctuary where I spend my time when I am not working and this is why I don't get my blog up dated. Alas, the Fall will be over soon and to cold to hang out there and I must cease the day while it last! I'll try to be more faithful once the temperatures get colder and I won't be shopping any more real soon with my friend...Her husband has band us from being together for awhile.

Have a great Fall and take time to really see the beauty around you!

South Carolina

I'm just not ready to let Summer go just yet!

Took a few early Fall images this weekend so I'll be sharing those soon. Enjoy 2 of my favorite coastal paintings!

Just to let you know they are available in my Etsy shop!

Happy Purple Monday!

I Love Purple! and Blossom http://blossomandbloom.blogspot.com/

is featuring Purple Monday and I want to pass it on! Hope you like Purple too!

Don't forget to enter my drawing!

Paying it forward...Last Days of Summer Giveaway!

As we finish this Labor Day weekend I want to have a giveaway!

Autumn Antics http://autumnsantics.blogspot.com just had an amazing giveaway that started with Bone Head Studio's. http://boneheadstudio.blogspot.com/ But it has a catch. Those entering to win the prizes must agree to create 5 of their own pieces of art to offer in a giveaway. I have created these cute little cards called Bitty Sentiments. Leave a comment and I will have a drawing on Tuesday morning. I worked on the sets today and here are some of the images from the themes I used. Enjoy the Last Images of Summer and good luck.

The Cards I Made for you today!

These are some of my photographs I got the little images from Enjoy!







Happy Labor Day!

End of Summer

Sunrise on the beach
As this "Last Weekend of Summer" begins I wanted to share some parting images of summer with you.

I started this blog entry early this afternoon as I sat bored stiff in our frame shop waiting for someone to come in. I was motivated and ready with what I was going to post. But then someone did come in. My wonderful husband came in after that and wanted to talk.

Imagine that!

So, 3 hours had passed and then it was time for our little town's 1st Friday evening festivities to start. I needed to check on my new vendors and do a once around to see how everything was going and then eat. By the time I got back to the shop I had a headache. My wonderful husband was still in the mood to talk, so after a bit I told him I was going to give the chair massage lady some business. After 10 minutes with her, I went to the shoe store and had a FREE 20 min. reflexology session! I was feeling much better and the evening was over so I knew I would be able to go home and finish my blog!

NOT!!!

A few minor things had to be taken care of first .
Finally off to my bedroom, soft music, relax, breath, open laptop, log in, start to type and....
My kitty who has been home alone all day wants me to pet him. I can not type and pet a cat at the same time!
Am I ever going to get this blog entry done????? Breathe

As this last "Weekend of Summer" begins I wanted to share some parting images of summer with you. I know we will have several more warm weeks and beautiful summer days left but soon the colors will begin to change and the temperatures will get cooler and that excitement of Fall will fill us and beachy photos won't be as fun to look at so I will share some with you through out the weekend so you can revisit the long days of Summer one last time before the Fall season is upon us! I won't necessarily have much to say, just pretty images for you to enjoy! If you do enjoy them please leave me a note so I will know someone is enjoying my photography. Thanks and have a great holiday weekend!

Book Addict...Who Me?

I Want to share with you a problem I have. After you read this you may take me off you favorites list but I will risk it!





I have an addiction







An obsession really





I neglect my family, cleaning, tv watching even social gatherings for this obsession. (unless it involves this problem, Then I'm all over it!) It has caused me to spend money needlessly and and spend hours in stores I should not even go into EVER again. At least for a few years!





What is this horrible addiction you ask?

BOOKS and READING!



This is the Awesome old pie safe I just had to have for my blue living room! It was just perfect for the growing stack of books that were overflowing from my Grandfathers smallish bookcase in the next photo. I put all the books I want to read right away in here so I could figure out where to go next. As you can see, I think there are enough books here for at least a couple of years and these are just the ones I want to read RIGHT NOW, Like I want to finish these by the end of 2009. Ha, right.



Did I mention I am in a book club? We read a different book each month and then get together and have a theme party if possible around the books subject! We have great fun and have been meeting for over 12 years now. I remember when I was asked to join the group. I said I didn't think I could finish a book in a month. Wow, I wasn't sure if I could keep up or was smart enough to be in a book club. for a few years I was actually in 2 different clubs. So when am I going to fit in my own books? Why do I keep buying more books? I do buy from library sales and used book stores. That is the problem I can't turn down a good deal.

Well this is bookcase #2 where I used to keep the books I needed to read. It belonged to my Grandfathers Mom and was passed down to me from my Mom.
This is what I call The still to be read bookcase!



I have to brag here...The painting above the chair was painted by my aspiring fashion designer daughter that lives in Chicago right now going to school. Isn't she talented? Thanks.

Also, notice our lovely, cute and oh so loving kitty, Arah. He is sleeping coz he had a late night catting around last night. lol.

And this is the 1st book case I actually bought at an auction (I was so proud I won it!) to hold the few books I had in our home at the time, just for looks. Ha ha ha. They were antique books and such. Nothing I would possibly take time from my darling babies and my cross stitching and tv watching, to actually read! Why, I couldn't read. My teachers in grade school told me that. I was always in with the slower readers. I hated to read! I do remember liking Dick and Jane. I can still remember the smell of those books at school. And don't tell my teachers but I can remember chewing on the top of the book binding edge. Oh, I was suppose to be reading the book? Not eating it? Well when there is no food at home you got to do what you got to do. lol.

Just kidding, Glad my Mom can't read this.

Anyway, Thank goodness I had a wonderful teacher in 5th grade who didn't believe we should be separated and made us all read out loud taking turns. She encouraged all of us that we could all read well. Believe me I really stepped up my game when I knew I was going to have to read OUT LOUD! Then we had the opportunity to buy book from the Scholastic book flyer. As I look back now I am so thankful that my Mom let me buy those books. We really didn't have a lot of money but she let me get a book every time those papers were sent home.

I was never a book worm or really dedicated to reading in school like other kids but I did enjoy many books throughout my high school years but gave it up after that for crafts, photography and tv.

I want to thank my friend Betsy who encouraged me 12 years ago to give the club a try. I have read a lot of wonderful book since then and grown as a person because of it. I started this blog entry because I wanted to post an interview done at Borders Books on line about one of the books I so enjoyed. After listening to Sara's interview the book became even more special to me. If you have not read "Water For Elephants" by Sara Gruen please do and here is the link to the interview she did quite awhile ago http://www.bordersmedia.com/bookclub/gruen

I hope you enjoy reading as I do and I have the book selector thing here so you can see what I am enjoying. Support your local libraries and book stores!